Chair



Dec. 7, 1943. A. r. RONK 2,336,128

CHAIR Filed Sept. 25, 1940 XML/d Patented Dec. 7, 1943 CHAIR Albert T. Ronk, North Manchester, Ind., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to The Peabody Company, North Manchester, Ind., a partnership of Indiana Application September 25, 1940, Serial No. 358,217

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in that type of chairs adapted to be used in large auditoriums, operas, churches and the like, wherein the chairs are arranged in either straight or circular rows and fixed to the floor with the end of one chair joining th end of an adjacent chair.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved chair comprising a back and seat portion and leg and arm portions for supporting the back and seat portions, wherein the leg and arm portions may be fixed to the floor in either straight or circular row and spaced apart a proper distance to receive between them the back and seat portions, and to provide means whereby the back and seat portions may be easily and quickly attached or removed after th arm and leg portions have been positioned.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a chair of the type above described, means wherein the seats may be arranged in circular rows of various radii without altering the construction of the chair, and at the same time provide seat construction of neat and pleasing appearance.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a chair of the type above described, improved means for automatically returning the seats to their upright positions when not in use.

A further object is to provide an improved chair wherein the seat portion, back portion, and the means for supporting the seat portion and back portion from the leg and arm portion may be assembled as a unit ready to be placed in position after the leg and arm portions have been permanently set, with means for easily and quickly attaching the seat and back portions thereto, and in connection therewith, meansfor adjusting the angle of the back portion relative to the leg and arm portions, to vary the inclination of said back portion.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of my improved chair, a portion of which is shown in section on the line ll of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view takenon the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on thGTliDel-lofFigllle 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line 5- -5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the inner surface'of one of the sid plates for supporting the seat and back sections, showing therewith the plate for supporting and adjustably mounting one end of the back section thereto; and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the outer face of said supporting plate.

The numeral I0 indicates the leg and arm section, which I shall term for the sake of con-' venien-ce the leg section, comprising a frame formed of cast metal, having upright front legs II and back leg members l2, the upper ends of said leg members being connected by an armsupporting bar l3, while the central portion of said leg members is connected with a cross bar 14. The lower ends of the legs H and I2 have flange portions 15a by means of which the legs may be secured to the floor.

The back edge of the upper portion of the leg member I2 is substantially semi-circular in cross section so as to provide a convex surface l5 to which the supporting plates [6 and I1 may be detachably secured. The back edge of the plate I6 is provided with a curved flange portion I8 adapted to be supported against the convexed surface l5, while the back edge of the plate I! is provided with a curved flange 19 adapted to overlap the curved portion l8 in the manner clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and 5. The upper ends of the curved portion 18 and I9 are provided with openings 20 for receiving a set screw 2|. A short cover plate 22 is provided between the member l9 and the head of the screw 2| tocover the slots 29. The lower ends of the curved portions I8 and I!) are also provided with slots 23 arranged to permit vertical adjustment as well as circumferential or circular adjustment. A plate 24 is provided for covering said slots 23, and a set screw 25 provides means for adjustably securing the lower ends of the plates l6 and I! to the back edge of the leg portions l2. Each of the leg portions [2 is provided with a set of supporting plates I 6 and I l, and are provided with means whereby the forward edges of the plates l6 and I! may be adjusted toward and from each other and toward and from the inwardly extending flange 26 of the leg Ill and inside of the laterally extending flanges 21 of said leg, as clearly illustrated in Figure 2.

The plates l6 and I! provide means for supporting the seat 28 and the back section 29, the lower and forward edge of each of the plates [6 and I1 having'anopening 30 and a sleeve 3| surrounding said opening and extending inwardly. Extending through the said, opening 3| and said sleeves of two corresponding sections l6 from a substantially horizontal position to a sub-.

stantially vertical position, or vice versa. The

sleeve 3| is provided with a fibre bushing 34 for the seat sections which may be placed in posicarrying the said shaft 32, the outer end of the shaft being provided with a washer 35 and a nut 36 for tying the supporting plates and the seat portion together with the supports [IB and I1 parallel.

Surrounding the sleeve 3|-concentrically is a second sleeve 31 of a larger diameter to form a space 38 and to form a housing for the spring 39 which is wound around the sleeve 3| and having one end anchored to a bolt extending through the sleeve 3'! in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 3. The other end of the spring 39 is provided with a loop 4| which is adapted to engage a pin 42 mounted in a disc 43 fixedto and carried by the shaft 32, said disc 43 'also'being supported substantially within the sleeve 31. Each end of the'shaft 32 is provided with a spring 39 which is so wound as to tend to move the-seat from a horizontal position to substantially a vertical position.

For limiting the movement of the seat as it moves to its vertical position I have provided'a semi-circula'rfflat spring 44, one end of which is secured to the housing 31 by rivets 45, the other end of said'spring 44 being provided with an inwardly extending lug 46 'for engaging the pin'42 when the seat isin its vertical position, the said spring 44 serving to also act as a shock absorber. V

For limiting the movement of the seat as it is moved to its'horizontal position, I have provided in each of the plates l6 and I! an opening 41 for receiving a stop pin 48, having one end provided with laterally projecting flanges 49 adapted to engage'the outer surface of the plates l6 and 11, said flanges being welded or otherwise secured thereto. The back edge of the under surfaceof the seat is provided with lugs 50 for engaging the lugs 48 in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 2.

The inner surface of each of the plates l6 and 1! is provided with a back-supporting plate and pivotally connected to said plateeby a pivot 52, the upper end of the plate being provided with a bolt 53 adapted to pass through a slot 54 having one of its edges provided with notches 55 for receiving the said bolt 53, thus providing means whereby the top ends of the plates 5| may be; adjusted forwardly or rearwardly, the back edge of each of the plates 5| being provided with a curved flange 56 to which the back section 2.9 is secured either by riveting or welding. In assembling the seat 28 and the supportin g members l6 and H are secured to: gether in operative relation by means of the shaft 32 with the plates 5| inside of said supports, the curved portions 53 being welded to the back 29, the pivots 52 serving to pivot the back 29 and the member 5| to the supports I6 and I1, and the shaft 32 serving to tie the lower ends of the supports together while the back 29 and the plate 5| serve to tie the back and central portion of said supports together, so that the back 29, supporting plates 5 and I1, together with the seat 28 form a unit that I have termed a seat section, each section having outwardly projecting curved portions I9 and I8 by means of which the seat sections are secured to the le portions by suitable set screws.

By this construction it will be seen that the seat comprises leg sections H) which may be first fastened to the fioor with the plane of the leg sections within the radius of th circular arc in which the seats are to be mounted, and spaced apart such a distance as to receive between them tion by simply placing the flanges l8 and IQ of two adjoining seat sections adjacent to the back edge of the leg section common to both of said seat sections, and then placing the set screws 2| and 25 in the slots 20 and 23. From the construction above described it will be seen that the side plates l6 and I! of a given seat section will always be parallel and that when the said seat section is in position, the forward edges of the said side plates will automatically assume their proper position within the flanges 21 of the frontleg portion. I r a In the setting of the leg sections, if the seats are placed in arcuate rows the workman simply draws on the floor a line having the proper radius through which a vertical lineifrom the back edges of the leg members |2 would fall, then marks on the said line points spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the centers of the convexed surfaces of the .back' edges of the legs |2, afterwhich the leg portions may then be placed immediately on thes marks with r the leg sections in'radial upright planes from said marks, after which the, seat sections may then be placed in position; In like-,manner, a second row of seats may be placed concentrically with the first row and wherein the same seat construction is adapted to be placed in all of said rows, regardless of the length of the radii, without any alteration or changes. The seat-supporting plates will automatically adjusttheir positions one relative to the other.

Thus, it will be seen I have provided a simple and efiicient seat construction wherein theback and seat portions and their supporting plates may be assembled as a unit in a factory and delivered to the auditorium in which the seats are to be placed, ready to be installed, with the leg sections as other units, wherein the leg sections may first be installed and the seat sectionsthereafter placed in position and'wherein the workman needs to pay no attention as to adjustment of the elements any other than placing the curved sections of the side plates in position on the back edges of the leg members and locking the same in position by means of the set screws.

It will further be seen I have provided means whereby the seat sections will be automatically elevated to vertical position when in use, wherein the seats will always be folded up to permit freeaccess to and from the seats.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a pair of parallel supporting side plates, a seat between the lower ends of said plates, a shaft fixing the lower ends of said supports in parallelism and in spaced relation with each other, means mounting the seat on said shaft, a back, means securing said back to and between said supporting plates wherein the supporting plates and said seat and back form an assembly unit, a leg portion adjacent to each supporting plate, and means foradjustably fixing the back edges of said unit to the back edges of the corresponding leg portions, wherein the angularity of the leg portions may be varied in respect to the corresponding supporting plates.

2. In a device of the class described, a pair of parallel supporting plates, a seat between the lower ends of said plates, a shaft fixing the lower ends of said supporting plates in spaced relation with each other, means mounting the seat on said shaft, a back having each of its upright edges provided with a forwardly extending plate, means pivotally connecting the said forwardly extending plates to said supporting plates, wherein the upper end of said back may be adjusted forwardly and rearwardly, means for locking said back in any one of its adjusted positions, a shaft connecting the lower ends of said supporting plates, a seat supported by said shaft wherein the supporting plates, the back, the shaft and the seat form an assembled unit, a leg section adjacent to the side of each supporting plate, and

means adjustably securing the back edges of said supporting plates to the back edges of the corresponding leg portion.

3. In a device of the class described, a pair of spaced supporting plates, the back edge of each of said plates having an outwardly curved flange, a seat between the lower ends of said plates, a shaft fixing the lower ends of said supporting plates substantially in parallelism, means mounting the seat on said shaft, a back having each of its upright edges provided with a forwardly extending plate, means pivotally connecting said forwardly extending plates to corresponding and adjacent supporting plates wherein the upper end of said back may be adjusted forwardly and rearwardly, means for locking said back in any one of its adjusted positions, a leg section adjacent to the side of each supporting plate, and means securing the outwardly and curved flanges of said supporting plates to the hack edges of the corresponding and adjacent leg portions.

ALBERT T. RONK. 

